Tag: NCAA March Madness

Jalen Hurts weighs in on Caitlin Clark GOAT debate

The former Alabama Crimson Tide star weighs in on the Caitlin Clark GOAT debate

Caitlin Clark has been one of the biggest storylines in college athletics over the past several months with her eye-popping three-point shooting and her record-breaking performances. With Iowa’s loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks on Sunday in the NCAA Tournament National Championship, it’s likely that Clark’s time with the Hawkeyes is over.

One debate that has raged as of late is whether or not Clark can be considered the GOAT without winning her team a national championship. Well, on Sunday, former Alabama Crimson Tide starting quarterback [autotag]Jalen Hurts[/autotag] weighed in on the controversial subject.

Hurts would point to his time at Alabama as a reference to his opinion on the matter.

“I think that’s what makes the difference between the word best and great. Everybody dreams of winning championships, you know. That’s where we, coming from Alabama, experiencing that, it’s just a level of having that opportunity year in and year out. And now, to have an opportunity to do that in the NFL. That’s what everybody strives for.”

“I think for Coach Staley she said she got to the dance all the time and never finished it. That’s why she’s coaching. So, I think it is something to winning championships. I think the talent kind of dictates how many you need to win. But championships, it’s all about winning. That’s always the main thing and that’s why everybody competes so much.”

Hurts’ thoughts can be wrapped up in his closing remarks, “It’s all about winning”.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Stacey Blackwood on X (Twitter) @Blackwood89.

Columbia has a team in March Madness for first time since 1968

The Columbia women’s basketball team earned their first tournament appearance with an at-large play-in bid against Vanderbilt.

It is March Madness season, and the women’s 2024 Division I bracket was revealed on Sunday. South Carolina, Iowa, Texas and USC earned No. 1 seeds, while Notre Dame, UCLA, Stanford and Ohio State secured No. 2 seeds.

South Carolina’s first game will be against the No. 16 seed, either Sacred Heart or Presbyterian, at 2 p.m. ET (ESPN) Friday. South Carolina is undefeated for the second year in a row, which garnered them the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament, sitting squarely atop the Albany Region 1.

Iowa will take on the No. 16 seed, either Holy Cross or UT Martin, on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET (ABC). It could be argued that Albany Region 2 is the most difficult in the tournament. The region boasts No. 2 UCLA, No. 3 LSU, No. 4 Kansas State and No. 6 Louisville. Additionally, an LSU-Iowa matchup would draw quite a crowd, considering the 2023 national championship matchup between the two teams.

USC and JuJu Watkins are matched up against No. 16 A&M-Corpus Christi on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET (ESPN). Portland 3 Region also includes No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 UConn. This region could get spicy quickly with some big names like UConn’s Paige Bueckers back in action.

The final region is Portland 4 Region, with Texas in the No. 1 spot due to its Big 12 Conference tournament championship win. With that win, Stanford dropped to No. 2 seed but will come into the tourney with a vengeance. And everyone’s Cinderella this year is bound to be Columbia University. The women earned an at-large play-in bid against Vanderbilt. It is the first time in school history the women’s team will compete in the NCAA Tournament and the first time since 1968 that Columbia has a team in the tourney. The men’s team made their last appearance that year.

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After winning Big 12 Tournament, Texas returns to Kansas City for Sweet 16

Kansas City has been kind to the Longhorns in basketball this year.

A week ago, Texas won the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City, Missouri. The Longhorns return for the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.

If the conference tournament was any indication, Texas feels comfortable in the T-Mobile Center. Texas head coach Rodney Terry and company rode momentum to the program’s second ever Big 12 Tournament title. The team will look to rekindle the offensive fire it started a week ago when it faces the No. 3 Xavier Musketeers its next game.

What must happen for Texas is clear. Terry’s squad must get back to normal at the three-point line. The Longhorns shot just over 7% going 1-for-13 from behind the arc. It’s fair to assume that kind of performance from three will not be good enough to advance moving forward.

The pendulum swung negatively for Texas guard Sir’Jabari Rice who followed a 7-for-10 output from long range to go 1-for-6 against Penn State. He could be key for Texas guards getting back to form in the next game.

First Four: Sacred Heart Women’s Basketball makes history for school

The Sacred Heart University Pioneers women’s basketball team makes history.

The Sacred Heart University Pioneers women’s basketball team notched their first NCAA Tournament win at the Division I level, which is a first for either the men’s or women’s basketball programs. It was also the first March Madness win for a Northeast Conference women’s team.

They played against Southern University, one of two HBCUs in the 2023 March Madness Women’s D1 NCAA tournament, and defeated them 57-47. They are now the underdog of the West Regional as the No. 16 seed and play No. 1 seeded Stanford at 7:30 p.m. ET on March 17th airing live on ESPN2.

Senior guard Olivia Tucker led the Pioneers with 13 points and freshman guard Ny’Ceara Pryor had 10 assists, eight rebounds, and 11 points. Junior forward Kelsey Wood added 10 points.

“I am so proud of our team’s effort. It was a true battle tonight. I am so proud of how our team rallied to make history tonight,” said SHU’s 10th year head coach Jessica Mannetti.

“We just made history, and we are not done with this story,” said Ny’Ceara Pryor, the NEC Player, Rookie and Defensive Player of the Year.

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Fans are invited to watch Elite 8 at Bud Walton Arena

Razorback fans can watch the Elite 8 game against Duke from the comforts of Bud Walton Arena, with thousands of their closest friends.

The No. 4 seed Arkansas Razorbacks will compete for a spot in the Final Four on Saturday when they face off against No. 2 seed Duke in the Elite 8 at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif.

Even though the Razorbacks are playing over 1,800 miles away from home, that does not mean that you can’t watch the game with thousands of your closest friends.

The University of Arkansas announced Friday that Bud Walton Arena will be open to the public on Saturday for a watch party for the Elite 8 game between Arkansas and Duke.

Here’s the release from Arkansas athletics describing the event:

The game will be shown on the video board and TVs around the arena. Doors to the arena will open at 6:30 p.m. with tipoff set for approximately 7:49 p.m. CT. The event is free and open to the public.

Fans are encouraged to park in Lots 56, 56B, 60 or any lot west of Razorback Road. No shuttle service will be provided. All students and fans will need to enter Bud Walton Arena through either the south, west or east entrances.

Members of the HogWild Band and Spirit Squads will be on hand for a pre-game pep rally and timeout performances. There will also be contests for University of Arkansas Students, commemorative posters for the first 500 fans in attendance, live trivia during halftime, a DJ to keep the energy high, and much more!

Hog Heaven inside Bud Walton Arena will be open for fans and a limited number of concession stands will also be open – no outside food or drinks will be allowed.

The Southeastern Conference’s Clear Bag Policy will be in place along with metal detectors entering the arena.

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The best value bets on NCAA Men’s Finals Four and championship odds

These teams with long odds have a chance to do some damage.

More times than not, No. 1 seeds have taken home the NCAA Men’s Tournament title. But being a top seed isn’t always a prerequisite to making the Final Four.

In each of the last eight tournaments, a team seeded five or lower has made the national semifinals. That includes an 11 seed in two of the last three. Not since a three-year stretch from 2007 to 2009 has a team seeded lower than three failed to reach the Final Four.

For those able to correctly predict which of these Cinderella’s make it to the end, the results don’t have to just mean good things for your bracket. They can also put a little money in your pockets, as these long shots provide outstanding value on their odds. Here we take a look at some of the candidates from each region with a chance to play their way to the end.

All odds via Tipico

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All of 2021 March Madness To Be Held in Indiana

The NCAA made it official Monday by announcing that this year’s men’s basketball tournament will be held entirely in Indiana.

The NCAA made it official Monday by announcing that this year’s men’s basketball tournament will be held entirely in Indiana. This has been known for a while, but a detailed plan has not been revealed until now. Most of the tournament will take place in Indianapolis, including the Final Four at Lucas Oil Stadium, and other games will be hosted in Bloomington and West Lafayette.

At 3-6 overall and winless through three ACC games, Notre Dame needs to turn it around fast if it hopes to make the field for this unique version of March Madness. The Irish almost surely would have to win the ACC Tournament at this rate, and that’s a long shot with five conference teams currently ranked and three more receiving votes in the latest AP poll. As difficult as it seems, Mike Brey teams have a penchant for surprising people. How do we know it can’t happen again?

ACC to propose all teams to play in NCAA tournament, Brey agrees

The ACC has unanimously agreed to propose to the NCAA for all teams to be included in the NCAA basketball tournament. Does this make sense?

The ACC obviously has made some moves to include teams during this pandemic, most notably our Irish joining as “full fledged” football members, albeit just for 2020 at the moment. This morning news was released that the ACC will propose to the NCAA to allow all teams to participate in March Madness.

This is out of the ordinary and just doesn’t make much sense to me. It is a earned experience to qualify for the NCAA tournament, not a sign-up and you’re in type of event. I hate this idea, it would be like every football team being bowl eligible. It’s a hard pass for me, you have to earn it.

Irish men’s basketball head coach Mike Brey agree’s as you can see, but what is fair about life in general? Nothing typically. Degree’s are earned, just because you pay tuition doesn’t mean you will graduate. Positions with Fortune 500 companies aren’t just given out to anyone, they’re given to qualified people who worked hard to achieve that status.

This idea just doesn’t sit well with me and it’s a move that weakens college basketball. As much as we all root for a 16-seed to knock off a 1-seed, there won’t be this kind of action if all teams are included. How long would this all teams tournament last? With COVID-19 still rampaging through college campus’, would a bubble work for every single team or location? Think about the cost of travel expenses for teams. Logistically, I’m not sure it would work. Either way, it’s a terrible idea and the NCAA Tournament should stay status quo, just like what the College Football Playoff is doing for the football season.

Wisconsin basketball has the luxury to stay out of the current transfer portal madness

The Badgers have the luxury of returning their solid core from a year ago

[lawrence-newsletter][lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1362]Transfers in college basketball have become the new recruiting battle in college basketball. According to 247sports, a one-time immediate eligibility rule is expected to pass for transfers when the NCAA votes on May 20th. That change would likely increase what has already become a massive pool of talent in the transfer portal due to those players gaining immediate eligibility with no questions asked.

You only need to look around the Big Ten to see what the madness of transfer season creates. Look no further than the Ohio State Buckeyes as an example. Two-year starter Luther Muhammad has transferred out of the Buckeye program along with D.J. Carton and Alonzo Gaffney. On the flip side, Ohio State has brought in Harvard transfer Seth Towns and just yesterday it was announced that Utah State point guard Abel Porter would use his graduate year of eligibility to join OSU. All of a sudden, in a matter of two weeks, an entire Big Ten roster sees itself flipped. It almost feels like an NBA offseason.

The Badgers had enough transfer drama during the year. Now they can sit back and watch everything unfold. When Kobe King transferred out in the middle of the Big Ten season, and then a few weeks later committed to Nebraska, the Badgers were able to face adversity on the fly. They bonded together as a unit during the second half of the season. The best news? That unit is coming back.

The Badgers only lose one significant contributor in terms of minutes, that being Brevin Pritzl. With 88% of the minutes coming back to Madison, and nobody leaving in the transfer madness, Wisconsin can stay out of what has already been a wild off-season for multiple Big Ten programs. Even more important for UW, a returning core that has played with each other for a full year (and more in most cases) has built the chemistry that only comes with time.

Turnover in transfer season may be fun for fans, and if the NCAA vote on May 20th grants immediate, one-time eligibility that would be a major win for the players. Staying out of the entire process as a team, however, will likely translate to consistency and wins. Take two teams of relatively similar talent. One of those teams has three new significant pieces while three players have departed. The other has the same solid nine players that made up last year’s foundation. Who would you take?

Wisconsin basketball not only has the luxury of depth, but also a foundation of players who are not going through the grinds of a Big Ten season for the first time. While the transfer portal may feel like a fun, shiny new car, the Badgers have a steady ride that will not break down in 2021.

The quarantined Wisconsin basketball reunion is finally here

As I promised last week here, the Big Ten Network told fans via Twitter that they would be posting a zoom call reunion with Badger basketball stars from the 2013-14 and 2014-15 Final Four runs. It is finally here, and it is as good as advertised. …

As I promised last week here, the Big Ten Network told fans via Twitter that they would be posting a zoom call reunion with Badger basketball stars from the 2013-14 and 2014-15 Final Four runs. It is finally here, and it is as good as advertised. The Wisconsin on BTN teaser clip from the full thirty minute session has former Badger guard Ben Brust asking the Wooden Award Winner Frank Kaminsky if “he knew he was good.” You do not want to miss this comedy.

The full zoom session is now available via the Big Ten Networks YouTube account (link below). Former Badgers Ben Brust, Zack Showalter, Sam Dekker, Josh Gasser, and Frank “The Tank” Kaminsky remember better times as they look back on their Final Four days. Enjoy the Big Ten Network’s “Video ReCall.”